MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On Friday, January 21, 2022, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation launched an undercover operation in Memphis, which resulted in the arrests and charges of 10 individuals and the seizure of weapons, drugs, vehicles, and cash.
The main focus of the operation was to find and identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Human Trafficking Unit, Memphis Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the office of 30th District Attorney General Amy Weirich all assisted in the operation, which resulted in the arrests of the following individuals:
- Nathan Durham, 46, was charged with:
- two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- one count of Possession of marijuana with Intent
- three counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon,
- three counts of Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony
- being held on a $15,000 bond
- Doubse Edwards, 55, was charged with:
- two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- one count of Possession of cocaine with Intent
- one count of Felony Possession of Methamphetamine
- being held on a $40,000 bond
- Cortez Holloway, 31, was charged with:
- one count of Promoting Prostitution
- being held on a $5,000 bond
- Lironda Knighten, 26 (Marion, Ark.), was charged with:
- two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- one count of Possession of marijuana with Intent
- one count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon
- one count of Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony
- being held on a $20,000 bond
- Mark Pitts, 48 (Forrest City, Ark.), was charged with:
- two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- being held on a $10,000 bond
- Thomas Riedmaier, 67 (Gibsonburg, Ohio), was charged with:
- Two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- being held on a $7,500 bond
- Steven Scroggins, 37 (Portland, Ark.), was charged with:
- two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- one count of Felony Possession of Methamphetamine
- being held on a $30,000 bond
- Patrick Watt, 55, was charged with:
- one count of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- being held on a $15,000 bond
- Anthony Wolfe, 52 (Horn Lake, MS), was charged with:
- one count of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Acts
- being held on a $15,000 bond
- Chelsea Bandy, 21 (Bolivar, TN) was charged with:
- one count of Prostitution
- being held on a $1,500 bond
The arrests also resulted in the seizure of six weapons, nine vehicles, thousands of dollars in cash and illicit drugs.
Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at www.ItHasToStop.com. If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.